Season 2: Episode 4 - Leveraging Social Media Algorithms to Improve Eating Disorder Screening with Scott Griffiths and Roisin McNaney

Scott Griffiths, PhD is a body image and physical appearance researcher at the University of Melbourne. He leads the Physical Appearance Research Team as an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow. Roisin McNaney, PhD, a cross-disciplinary digital health researcher directing CSIRO's Next Generation of Graduates program in AI and Mental Health. They are combining their expertise to explore whether social media -  particularly TikTok's -  can be repurposed for eating disorder screening. Their work transforms the discussion on social media and mental health.

Drs. Griffiths and McNaney have contributed a chapter to Big Ideas In Eating Disorders (Weissman & Pike, editors) that is tremendously thought provoking and forward looking. They share highlights from their research that is built on a bold and visionary question about the use of social media. Their work comes amid growing efforts in Australia to restrict social media access for vulnerable youth, including the Online Safety Amendment banning under-16s from social media. Scott and Roisin are exploring whether an opportunity exists to use social media to actually improve mental health rather than only restrict access. They want to genuinely understand and address the underlying risks these platforms pose AND exploit their potential for good.

Their central insight flips a common concern on its head. Rather than treating recommendation algorithms purely as a threat, they see the rich, passively generated data these platforms already produce as an untapped opportunity — one that could enable personalized eating disorder screening at a scale and precision current methods can't match. Join us to hear more about their big idea, and you can read the full chapter in the Big Ideas In Eating Disorders (Weissman & Pike, editors).